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FIM-92 Stinger
|barrel= |weight= |justweight= |width= |height= |magazine=1 missile |cycle= |effective= minimum maximum horizontal, maximum altitude |range= |usedby= |velocity= |caption = FIM-92 Stinger assembled complete launcher, detached BCU and unencased missile}} The FIM-92 Stinger is an American MANPADS developed by General Dynamics during the late 60s and early 70s and currently manufactured primarily by Raytheon Missile Systems. History Development of the FIM-92 originally began in 1967. It was originally developed under the name FIM-43 Redeye II as it was intended as an upgrade to the FIM-43 Redeye. In 1971, it was accepted for further development, and that was when the weapon received the FIM-92 designation; the Stinger moniker was added the next year. Due to technical issues, the first shoulder launch of a Stinger did not occur until 1975. The production FIM-92A commenced manufacturing in 1978, with the improved IR-and-UV seeking FIM-92B Stinger POST replacing it in 1983. The FIM-92C Stinger RMP began development in 1984 and entered production in 1987, with the FIM-92E Stinger RMP Block I variant following in 1995. The Stinger has been used by the US Army and Marines, and is also used on Navy vessels for short-range air defense. The Stinger also sees use throughout the world, and is produced under license by EADS in Germany as the Fliegerfaust 2 and by Roketsan in Turkey. Design The Stinger is a tail-chasing fire-and-forget system using a hit-to-kill annular blast fragmentation warhead. First-generation Stingers were pure heat-seekers using contrast comparison to acquire targets, while later variants compare IR and UV sensor inputs in order to defeat countermeasures. The missile's IR sensor is gas-cooled and the system uses a replaceable thermal battery for power. The man-portable Stinger system consists of two main assemblies: the gripstock unit consists of the weapon's trigger group, fire control systems, a well for inserting a Battery Coolant Unit (BCU) and a frame to which the folding IFF antenna is attached. The Launch Tube Assembly (LTA) consists of a missile with attached launch motor encased in a fiberglass tube, with a desiccant cartridge mounted on top to prevent moisture infiltration, and an attached flap to which the launcher's iron sights are mounted. LTAs are single-use, while the gripstock is re-usable and detached from the LTA after firing. Mating an LTA to a gripstock requires the removal of a protective cover on the LTA's underside: the gripstock then slides into position and is locked with a latch at the front. To render stolen shipments less useful, LTAs and gripstocks are transported long distances separately. The missile's seeker is used to acquire a lock while it is still in the launch tube: to this end, the front of the tube is a thin, IR-permeable "window" which is protected by an end cap in transit. The BCU is a vital part of the Stinger's functioning: it contains a reservoir of liquid argon and a thermal battery. BCUs are inserted into a well on the bottom of the gripstock unit right in front of the pistol grip (after the removal of a protective cap that covers the well in transit), locked in place by a quarter-turn and activated by pushing the safety and actuator switch on the gripstock forward, outward and downward, then releasing it. Once activated, the BCU injects the argon into the IR seeker in gas form to cool it to operating temperature, while the thermal battery provides a power supply for the lock-on procedure. The BCU takes 3-5 seconds to warm up, and provides 45-second supply of power: if the missile is not launched in this window, a new BCU has to be inserted. The BCU must be detached quickly after launch, as the chemical reaction that generates power continues long after its usefulness as a battery has expired, with the temperature of the BCU reaching 400 degrees Fahrenheit 3-5 minutes after launch: this is quite capable of damaging the gripstock if it is left in place. An insulated handling ring is placed at the base of the BCU to enable safe removal. BCUs are noted to be somewhat sensitive to mishandling and have a short shelf life due to the tendency of the argon supply to slowly drain out in storage. A complete Stinger system is referred to as a "weapon-round," while an LTA on its own is a "missile-round." A "weapon-round" consists of a Stinger system in a protective case with 3-5 BCUs, an IFF interrogator box and a set of earplugs (FM 44-18-1 warns that permanent deafness will result from exposure to more than two firings without ear protection). Typically a two-man Stinger fireteam are issued four weapon-rounds and two missile-rounds. A fixed twin-mount for Stinger called Dual Mount System (DMS) also exists: this system is a tripod with a gunner's chair, and includes a power and coolant supply for two LTAs, and a datalink and radio set for communication with early warning systems. Stinger can also fired from helicopters, or vehicles such as the M6 Bradley Linebacker and the AN/TWQ1 Avenger which use the four-round Standard Vehicle Mounted Launcher (SVML). The M6 Linebacker no longer mounts the SVML: they were removed from 2005-2006 due to the lack of suitable targets in Iraq and Afghanistan rendering the system unnecessary, though there are plans to re-add them to a new M6 variant called the M-SHORAD. These systems all use the standard Stinger LTA. Launch procedure After inserting and activating the BCU, the lock-on procedure begins by removing the front cover from the tube and pointing the launcher at an empty area of sky, since the system requires a baseline for its negative contrast detection method. The target is then held in the circle defined by the front sight until the launcher generates a lock-on tone. This is given to the operator by two methods, a small but extremely loud speaker which beeps next to the gunner's ear, and a vibrating pad mounted on the sight which presses against the gunner's cheek in case they are unable to hear the speaker. If a lock is not immediately acquired, swinging the sight on and off the target or in a figure-eight motion crossing over it is used. When the lock has been acquired, the gunner presses the uncaging switch on the front of the gripstock to uncage the main gyro (this should make the lock-on tone louder), and while holding the switch, applies lead and superelevation, holds their breath, and then pulls the trigger to launch the missile. There is a short delay between pressing the trigger and the missile actually launching. The reason for the gunner holding their breath is not for bracing, but because the toxic exhaust plume from the first-stage flight motor igniting can easily envelop the launch location. On launching, the IR window at the front of the tube and the bursting disc at the rear are blown out. The missile is ejected from the tube by a small launch motor which is still burning as it exits the tube, hence the presence of a plastic eye guard on the weapon's sight. The launch motor breaks away from the missile as it exits the tube, and a lanyard on the motor pulls a shorting plug from the main flight motor arming circuit. The missile's first-stage booster ignites around 29 feet from the launcher: this and the sustainer motor accelerate the missile to around Mach 2.5 before they burn out. The missile does not begin to manoeuvre until around 660 feet from the launcher: prior to this, it is only effect against a static target such as a hovering helicopter. Once launched, the missile runs on its own internal battery for its entire flight time. Stinger has a maximum flight time of 15-19 seconds depending on variant: if it has not hit something before this, the missile will self-destruct. In combat the Stinger has a backblast danger zone of 50 feet (15m) for personnel and 16 feet (5m) for equipment, and it is dangerous to fire the weapon at elevations greater than 65 degrees due to the backblast potentially injuring the user's legs. Sights Each LTA has an integral folding sight flap with a circular front sight for ranging (the target aircraft should be far enough away that it fits inside the circle) and a three-aperture real peep sight: the apertures to the left and right of the main one are for applying lead to a crossing target. In 1991, the US Marine Corps began a program called WASP (Wide-Angle Stinger Pointer) to develop a night-vision sight for the Stinger. Raytheon designed a sight derived from their existing AN/PAS-13B, the AN/PAS-18, which was adopted by the USMC as the Stinger Night Sight (SNS) in 1993. The SNS is a passive night-vision scope that attaches to the top of the launch tube: as well as the USMC, it has also been adopted by the German Air Force as part of the VSHORAD (Very Short Range Air Defence) system, and Euroatlas GmbH has produced a variant of the design adapted to fit on the Russian SA-16 "Gimlet" missile system. IFF Stinger's IFF system uses an integral antenna mounted on the right side of the gripstock assembly, which is controlled and powered by a small box called the "IFF interrogator" which is usually worn on the gunner's belt, the interrogator communicating with the Stinger using a wire which plugs into the underside of the pistol grip. With the box connected and the IFF antenna unfolded, pressing the "challenge" button on the Stinger will send out an IFF request and await a response: if the result is two half-second long beeps at a half-second interval the target is confirmed friendly, one 1.5 second beep a possible friendly, and many short beeps indicates no IFF response. The Stinger does not require the IFF to be connected in order to fire, nor does the IFF system prevent firing. Ammunition The FIM-92 uses a fin-stabilized missile in length and in diameter. The missile itself weighs . The warhead of the missile weighs and includes an impact fuze and a self-destruct timer. The FIM-92J adds a proximity sensor as an alternate fuze, and a remote command detonation system based on a laser rangefinder is under testing for the AN/TWQ-1 Avenger. Variants ;FIM-92A Basic variant, IR seeker only. ;FIM-92B Stinger POST. Uses combined IR and UV seeker to improve ability to distinguish aircraft from flares. ;FIM-92C Stinger RMP. Improved missile performance and addition of a 4-core digital microprocessor with a modular ROM chip for data, allowing for easier software upgrades. ;FIM-92D General performance upgrade from FIM-92C. ;FIM-92E Stinger RMP Block I. Upgrades to flight performance including a new rollover sensor, upgraded flight software, and seeker enhancements to improve performance against targets such as drones and cruise missiles. ;FIM-92F Further improvement to the E variant. ;FIM-92G Upgraded version of the FIM-92D with unknown improvements. ;FIM-92H Designation for a FIM-92D that has been upgraded to FIM-92E standards. ;Stinger RMP Block II Never-adopted enhanced variant intended to use an imaging infrared seeker derived from the AIM-9X Sidewinder, along with airframe and detector improvements to increase effective range and performance against jamming. ;FIM-92J Wide-ranging update to almost all components of the FIM-92E, including a new proximity sensor in addition to the impact sensor and a new flight motor. ;ADSM Variant with an additional passive radar seeker that can be used against radar wave transmitters. ;AIM-92 ATAS Designation for air-launched Stingers used on helicopters. Appears to be used for inventory purposes rather than designating any specific variant: ATAS uses standard Stinger LTAs, which can be attached to gripstocks as normal if the helicopter is shot down. Training Set Guided Missile M134 Inert Stinger targeting and acquisition trainer fitted with a performance indicator box and using a training battery three inches longer and almost twice as heavy as the standard BCU, which is capable of providing power for 16 47-second training sessions. The system can be used with a dummy IFF interrogator box or a real one, and lobs a large blue dummy missile a short distance to acclimate the gunner to the feeling of the missile leaving the tube. See also *FIM-43 Redeye *Type 91 References Category:MANPADS systems Category:Surface-to-air missiles Category:Missile launchers